30 centimeters per second
by Serpensi
Summary: I am a kunoichi from the land of fire. As the first great ninja war approached, I decided to take my chances and confront Gobi no Houkou, but something unexpected happened that day. He didn't kill me. [Hiatus.]
1. Prologue

_**30 centimeters per second**_

_Prologue_

I fell.

The wind was howling around me.

I remember the pain from the impact, like a thousand needles pierced my body. I forced myself to keep my eyes open, even though my vision was blurry and everything was spinning. I needed to focus, if I wanted to stay alive. I couldn't pass out, not yet, at least.

I wasn't ready to die yet.

No. I won't die to this.

It felt like hours passed by, but in reality it was only seconds. I swirled my chakra, creating a sphere around me. It engulfed me in a golden glow and it healed my broken body in a millisecond.

I had to get up and be ready, or I won't be able to counter his next attack. I knew it was coming, but the second I took to steady myself could be critical in my situation. He was like nothing I've ever fought before. I had to proceed with caution.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I listened.

My eyes shot open, as I jumped up, landing gracefully on a rooftop.

I wasn't where I was supposed to be.


	2. Chapter 1

_**30 centimeters per second**_

_Chapter 1_

A dog. No. Not a dog. An enormous white wolf with piercing green eyes stared at me. It wasn't amused one bit. I could hear a loud growl coming from it, but I shouldn't be fazed, I knew what I was dealing with. I had to do it.

"You pitiful human child dare summon me! Do you know who I am, gaki?!", the wolf spit directly in my face. I had to keep my distance, or he wouldn't have a problem making me his meal, after ripping me apart.

"You're Houkou," I stated simply, not wanting to display any of my emotions at the moment.

I was forged to be the perfect warrior. A silent assassin. A vicious mass murderer. I didn't have the luxury of feelings. The people I worked for didn't tolerate them, or need them, for that matter. My existence had only one purpose. To kill, or get killed. I was expendable. Killing was my only proof of existence.

I took a sharp breath and pushed my body off the ground as quickly as possible as the giant beast clawed at the spot millimeters under me. I had to think fast, or this would be the end of me.

"GAKIII," it howled as it flung its enormous body after me.

I closed my eyes. I could feel the air around me; I could feel the sun rays spilling over everything around; I could feel the shadows they created. It was peaceful, or that was what I imagined when I thought about the word peace. Tranquillity.

The world was standing still when I opened my eyes again. My deep green eyes were now golden, cat-like. Swirling in the middle of them was a yin-yang symbol and the iris slit was twirled on both ends, like it had been in a whirlwind just moments ago, with two black dots at each pointed end.

I was born into the Nagasaki clan and I inherited the doujutsu from my father. I wasn't 'pure' of blood, as my mother wasn't a Nagasaki, but I still carried the genes, which was a mystery as to why it happened. Before I awakened it, the doujutsu could only be inherited by 'pureblood'.

I brought shame to my family. Having this endangered me greatly. But the harm was done. My father was named a traitor and executed by the clan. My mother was banished, never to be seen again. That's what made me who I am today. That's why I had to fight and win now.

Forming hand seals at the speed of light, I teleported twenty meters away from where Houkou's now closed mouth was. I couldn't afford to be careless here.

"I don't want you to hold this against me," I said, my tone of voice full with confidence.

We were in the middle of a forest clearing. Tall oaks and pine trees were surrounding us. This forest was ancient, almost as ancient as the bijuu that created it. That's why the huge trees loomed ominously around me. I looked worthless compared to everything here. Yet, I didn't falter. This was all the more reason to fight. I wasn't worthless. I wouldn't be. After everything that had happened this was gonna be my salvation.

The wind stopped. Darkness started to envelop me. A genjustu.

After everything I had read and studied on Houkou, this was still bizarre to experience. He had mastered all the elements, each of them displayed through his tails - katon, doton, suiton, fuuton and raiton. Yet, he was the god of death, darkness and illusion. The bijuu protecting the Nagasaki clan.

"Those eye..," a voice erupted around me. Time felt like it was standing still in this darkness.

I couldn't see my body, nor feel anything. For all I knew, it was over. I was dead. Even the doujutsu I possessed couldn't counter the strength of this genjutsu. The only thought in my mind was that I failed. I couldn't do anything against a being this powerful. I flew too high and I was burned.

"You are something, gaki, to dare and fight me in my own realm..," the menacing voice brought me back to reality. Hearing it made me realise I was still alive. He could have killed me long ago, but he didn't. "You're not a Nagasaki, yet you possess their kekkei genkai. You're going openly against them, by attacking me, you know that, right!", he said with a rumble, resembling a laugh.

"Yes," I said bluntly. I knew what I was getting into.

"So, just to go against the Nagasaki clan, you decided to go against me, Gobi no Houkou, with hope of achieving what? Killing me! Ha! Like you can kill a bijuu," he openly laughed at me. I didn't fear I'll die here. I'm not supposed to die here.

"I'm not here to kill you, Houkou," I replied, hoping that this would intrigue him enough for me to concentrate enough chakra to break free from the genjutsu. I was the only one who could do this. I had to. It wasn't just a choice I made. It was way more. More than my existence.

"Oh, gaki, I see you have a purpose here. What did you come to me for, fought me for, and put your life on the line for?"

I felt the darkness around me, as I manipulated my chakra. I had one chance for this. I just needed a little bit more. The symbols in my eyes rotated and shifted, yin-yang pulsating, attempting to see something in the abyss. I breathed in. This was it. I stopped my chakra flow completely.

I breathed out, pulsating an enormous amount of chakra out of my body.

The darkness around me disappeared instantly. I was still quite a distance away from the wolf, which now seemed intrigued by me, rather than annoyed. I had to take my chances.

Forming hand seals quickly, I used a bunshin justsu to disappear into the shadows of the trees. My back landed against the roots of a big oak tree, as my legs gave in from jumping from tree to tree. I was still weak from the amount of chakra I used to release the genjutsu. I needed to rethink my strategy, as my plan's flaws were already out in the open.

"Well, gaki, seems like you're not interested for a chat," Houkou's loud growl of a voice filled the forest. I stiffened.

I didn't have much time. Taking him head-on was suicide, I couldn't find any weak points. I couldn't run and I couldn't hide, he could sense me, even if I suppressed my chakra, he would follow my scent. I listened. Nothing seemed to happen. The forest was still. _Did that mutt move at all?_

I barely registered what happened. I felt an enormous force connect with my body, sending me flying into the trees. The wind was knocked out of my lungs as my body hit the ground. My hair tie broke, letting my strawberry blonde hair fall loose around me. I felt the wet breath against my face way before I saw him. His mouth had formed into an ominous grin, showing his sharp teeth. The slit of his eyes were filled with a green glow, with no visible irises in them. That was the first time I saw a bijuu up close.

"You are at my mercy, gaki, won't you beg for your life?", Gobi asked, the amusement visible in the tone of his deep voice.

With a quick push from the ground, I landed swiftly on my feet, connecting my fist with the nose of the giant beast. The ground beneath us started breaking from the forces colliding above it. Houkou, taken by surprise, lost his footing and his body flew backwards, his enormous body breaking every tree it collided with. His nails were ripping the earth under them apart, as he was sliding away.

Making hand seals, I quickly released the justsu I placed there. Hundreds of chakra strings sprung from the earth beneath him and engulfed him like golden chains. He let out a growl and tried jumping up to break them, succeeding only in breaking the dry earth beneath his paws. He should have killed me when he had the chance.

"I didn't come here unprepared," I started, locking eyes with the huge wolf in front of me, "I came here ready and willing to fight you, but killing you was never my intention."

The wolf let a little rumble escape his lips, I couldn't say if it was displeasure or a dry laugh. Slowly, I started approaching the beast, my boots crunching the earth beneath them, and the metal bindings on them clicking as I walked. I was only seconds away from finishing my work here. I knew it wasn't safe lingering here for long, so I began.

* * *

The leafs in the forest rustled with the strong wind, muffing all other sounds. A shadow swiftly shifted from one tree to another, laying in wait for its prey.

A petite figure stepped out of the forest. A girl, golden hair swaying in the wind, creating a halo-like image around her. She looked up, like she was sensing something in the wind. Green eyes fixated on the blue sky.

Another blast of wind swirled around her, the medallion on her neck swished past the gray jacked. A yin-yang pendant. She brought her hand around in and stuffed it back between her breasts. Gray eyes narrowed at the gesture.

Looking around, she kept going, pulling the hood up and putting her hands in the pockets of the jacket. The wind was cold on her exposed legs, high boots and ripped leather skirt not helping much against it.

The hunter appeared behind her, grabbing her, lusting for the kill. Kawarimi.

She expected him. She wasn't stupid, she knew that the uproar she created earlier wouldn't get unnoticed. She looked at the attacker. A tall shinobi with golden hair and piercing yellow eyes.

Her eyes widened. She didn't expect him.

* * *

This couldn't be happening now! No, there has to be something that I could do. I needed to escape.

I blocked a kick he send my way, but I was running low on chakra. To see him here was very unexpected. I knew they would send someone, but I didn't anticipate they'd send him, of all people.

"Cat," he said in a bored voice, his body looming a good 30 centimeters over mine.

"Kurou," I said back, "doing the dirty work from early morning, I see." I wanted to rile him up.

"Tsh. And what are you doing here, cat? I thought this would be the last place you'd be at," he got into a combat position.

The situation wasn't looking good at my end. He was a strong opponent. The next in line for the head position of the Nagasaki clan. A prodigy.

* * *

_The streets were packed with people that day, the air around was tense, almost like people were expecting to die at the very second. The complex of building was huge, a stronghold. The Nagasaki clan was one of the biggest ninja clans of its time. Winter was right around the corner, so everyone was out, supplying themselves with food._

_It was going to be a mild winter, like every winter in the fire country, but they were expecting other clans to fight for their territories, as they held a significant amount of the meadows and forests. Stocking up on supplies was of big importance before a war, as the supply roads from the outside would be cut once the war started._

_"Noriko-chaaaan~," a boy, no older than five was running towards a small a girl, holding something near his chest, "Nori-chan, look!"_

_Looking at the boys extended arms, the girl could see a small gray ball of fur. She reached out to pet it._

_"What is it?", she asked, astonished at the small creature in the boy's hands._

_"It's a kitten," a woman approached the children, crunching down to their level, "It's too young to be out in the wild on its own, it has probably been abandoned," she continued. Her red hair was swaying with the wind. It was making her stand out, like she wasn't supposed to be here in the first place. Everyone on the street had light hair, from golden brown to platinum blonde. _

_"Okaa-san, what will happen to it?", asked the small girl, her green eyes full with wonder, yet, looking kind of sad at the thought that it was abandoned. _

_"It probably won't survive for long," the woman said, and got up. Both the children were looking at her, tears forming in their eyes, as she disappeared in the crowd. _

* * *

"Who would have thought we'd meet again," the man, Kurou, had a smug look on his face. _Tsh. I couldn't afford to lose. _

He started forming hand seals for a jutsu so fast I barely registered it. A fireball was making its way toward me. Making the same hand seals, I quickly released a fireball in its direction.

"Fighting fire with fire, eh," Kurou mused, "Cat, we both know you're running low on chakra, why don't we just get it over with," he grinned at me.

I huffed, I wouldn't let him taunt me this way. Jumping towards him, I started throwing punches, filled with chakra at him, hoping I'll throw him out of balance. He dodged and blocked everything I sent at him.

Catching one of my wrists, he spinned me into the air. I took this opportunity, sending a kick at his head, making him release me and jump backwards. Managing to land on my feet, I jumped in his direction, ready to engage again. Kicking, punching, blocking and dodging. My chakra pools were bigger than his, and he knew it. Regenerating chakra took longer for him that it took me, so even though he had the upper hand when we started this, he was slowly losing it.

It was a clutch fight. He knew his window at winning this was closing, he himself exhausted a good portion of his chakra by running so far out for the intruder in the elemental forest.

I didn't have a chance in hitting him at the moment, not when he had his doujutsu activated. He could see through my every move, blocking and dodging, seeing through my openings and landing kicks and punches. I used most of my chakra for healing and moving at the moment. If I didn't, I wouldn't be able to face him at all.

Most of my chakra reserves were halfway back, I had to take my chances and end this fight as quickly as possible. Winning wasn't my priority, nor was killing him. I had to get out of here without giving my purpose away why I was here in the first place.

I closed my eyes.

I was sent flying into the air. He took the opportunity to kick me under my chin and send me flying. _Bastard!_ I barely had the time to open my eyes and swirl around in the air to catch the kick which would have connected with my back. What I didn't anticipate was that this was a decoy. He caught me off guard.

He was at the last hand seal before I realised what was going on. He didn't mean to kick me, he meant to distract me from the fact he was forming a jutsu! _Tsh!_

He grinned.

I fell.


	3. Chapter 2

**30 centimeters per second**

_Chapter 2_

I wasn't where I was supposed to be.

This place looked like nothing I've ever seen before, the buildings' architecture was not something I was familiar with._ Where am I? _I needed to evaluate my situation, not knowing how much time I had to do that.

Solid rock walls were surrounding me, but that wasn't so bizarre as the things in front of me. Giant, human-like creatures, with grotesque smiles on their out of proportional heads, were roaming between the tall buildings in the city.

From where I stood I could see about a hundred giants roaming about, but I couldn't be sure, given that each had a different size, and I only evaluated the ones that were sticking out in between the buildings. Looking around, I spotted a hole in the wall that was surrounding the city with several giants making their way through it.

A relatively small giant was making its way toward me, making me feel kinda uneasy, but I didn't engage. It was too small to reach me, so I decided to examine it. It was completely naked, no visible reproductive organs. I closed my eyes and activated my doujustu.

_Strange, _was the only word that came to my mind when I looked at it through my ugan. The chakra system was undeveloped, most of it located around the nervous system, not uncommon in people who never went through chakra training. One uncommon thing was the nervous system. It was located at the base of its neck, not spreading further than that. The brain tissue didn't seem developed either, most likely the being wasn't very intelligent. It didn't have many organs, no beating heart or lungs, just a big cavity in the middle, where the stomach, liver and the intestines should have been.

What was even more peculiar was the content of that space, it had human remains in it.

I looked around the city. I could see faint chakra signatures moving towards a tall building in the middle of it, with several other chakra signatures inside. The place was crawling with those creatures, and it seemed like they were snacking on humans.

_Tsh! That bastard! He used a teleportation jutsu on me!_ I wasn't in a time or place in my world, I knew that. From the looks of it, I was in the middle of a war-zone, and humans here were helpless against those creatures.

_I needed a better look at this. _The only possible way for those people to survive this is if I helped them._ Only if I knew how.. _I needed to make my way towards the wall, but that involved running into several giants along the way. Yet, staying here wasn't an option, I might attract other unwanted attention.

The creature underneath me was trying to climb the building I was standing at, extending proportional hands, trying to grab a hold of me. It'll do... Forming hand seals, I summoned my twin katanas, Kanshou and Bakuya. With a swift motion, I cut the giant's hands off and landed behind it. The cut of limbs landed on the ground and started dissolving into smoke, yet the creature seemed unfazed by the fact I cut its hands off. The places where its hands have been attacked to started steaming moments after they fell off, which was the sign of a cell regeneration process, I observed.

_Okay, let's try again... _As the giant turned around and jumped at me, lusting to devour me, I jumped on its head, slicing it off with a clear strike. Landing once again behind it, I turned around and looked at the giant form. It was still standing on its legs, and steam was rising from its open neck.

_Hm_. I was missing something. I felt the vibration of giant footsteps closing in on my location. I had to act quickly.

I observed the human-like form in front of me. It had to have weak spots, or those humans I saw earlier wouldn't have had the means to survive all of those creatures. Looking closely at its body structure, I could see that I left parts of the nervous system in the neck intact.

_Cha!_ I jumped up, staying myself on its neck. It was unable to eat me, or grab me. Looking down on it, I made a quick job of cutting off all the existing nerves. As the giant under me collapsed, I jumped off to the roof on the nearby building. I could already see 5 others nearing my location. I couldn't be sure if they were targeting me, or just wandering aimlessly, but I wasn't about to take any chances.

I started jumping from roof to roof, making my way towards the center of the city, where all those chakra signatures were headed. I wasn't about to let anyone innocent die while I was here. It wasn't in my blood to do so.

* * *

_"Otou-san, why do you have to go?", a little girl asked a tall white haired man._

_The two figures were standing in the middle of a big, wooden hallway, the wood creaking underneath them. The candles along its walls were dim, flames flickering, barely holding on, before they die and give way to the darkness, which was looming over them._

_"Ah, little one," her father shook his head as he put his boots on. Staring down on her, he continued: "We should cherish life, because it's something precious. Everyone gets one chance at it, and everyone must seize it. When that life gets threatened by others, people hire someone stronger to protect them. One day you'll understand."_

_Green eyes, filled with wonder, stared in identical ones. The man grinned, patting the girl's head._

_"Does that mean that we're immortal?", the child asked, genuinely intrigued by the wonder of life._

_"Little one, look over there," her father pointed at something over her shoulder._

_A moth, fluttering around a candle. She fixated her eyes on it, not understanding why she was looking at that insect. The moth kept fluttering around it, going closer and closer to the flame._

_"What is it?", she asked, not understanding, watching the moth closely. Just as she asked that, the moth fluttered to close to the candle, setting itself on fire, with a small puff of smoke. "AH!"_

_"You see, little bug, everything lives and dies when the time comes. One day you'll leave this world behind, like everything else, that's not a fate you can escape. But you shouldn't fear death, you must seize life, you must live a life worth remembering. If you want to become immortal, live it so that everybody remembers who you were and what you did, carve your name into the shinning stars, that is immortality", he smiled down on the girl, and opened the door to leave._

_"Matte kudasai! So... I should live for everyone?", she asked, the flickering light of a dying candle visible in her big eyes._

_"Ha, no, live a life that you, my dear, will remember before you leave this world. Now, go back to bed, it's still night, and those things are too serious for a little girl," he turned around, and ruffled her hair. Then he turned around and left, closing the door behind him._

* * *

As I neared the chakra signatures I observed that they were using some sort of mechanisms, attaching wires to buildings and pulling themselves forward through the air. Quite impractical for a ninja, but for someone not using their chakra those things were better than nothing when facing those circumstances. They were facing the giants they encountered with the speed generated through those mechanisms, cutting straight through their nervous systems.

Suddenly, the person leading them fell behind. _Tsh_. This was becoming more troublesome by the second. I spotted several giants in front of them, and quite a few making their way toward them.

I sped up, slicing up every monstrosity in my way, they couldn't afford me being late. The person who fell out of their formation was getting help by two others. _They're too late. _The chakra signature that fell behind was in between two giants, around 15 meters high, and it didn't seem that either me, nor them will make it in time.

_Something's off. _One of the giants looked more physically developed than the other. I fixated my eyes on it. _This couldn't be!_ There was an actual human body inside the neck of the titan, and by the looks of it, the person was alive. _Just what the hell was this place! _

I was close enough to observe the situation with a naked eye now. There was a girl kneeling on the street as the two giants closed in on her. It seemed like she had given up fighting, given up living. Pitiful. The next thing she did surprised me. She pulled herself up, broken sword in hand. The tears were visible in her eyes. _Tsh! _I pushed myself off the roof, sprinting toward her with all I had. The tiles on the rooftops shattered beneath my feet from the chakra and force I was using. The next thing I saw made me stop dead in my tracks.

The _unnatural _giant sped up towards the other one and punching it in the jaw, protecting the girl on the street from it. _There are too many things that I haven't figured out here. _I decided laying low and observing the situation was best for now.

The two giants were fighting, as a blonde boy swiped down from a rooftop and pulled the girl up with him, getting her out of harm's way, for the time being, it seemed. That's when his eyes turned my way, spotting me in the distance.

_I should use this to my advantage._ Forming hand seals, I started a genjutsu, penetrating his mind as his clear blue eyes locked with mine. His mind would be able to give me valuable information about the world I was in. It took me less than a second, there were no barriers that could stop me from roaming freely through his mind. _Armin Arlert. Smart kid. _

I could see the chakra signatures who went ahead had stopped, and some of them completely disappeared. They died. Estimating the situation, I planted a thought in that kid's mind. _It's time to retreat and see how this will turn out._

I made my way towards the wall, observing the situation I left just moments ago. I had to make sure to avoid contact with any titans I encountered, given that they release steam upon death. I didn't want to be noticed just yet. Who knows how those people would react to a person like me?

The human in control of the titan's body made his way towards the center of the city, Trost, where the other people already found their way to.

I was already standing on the side of the wall when the titan fight started. _My plan worked so far, wonder how far it'll take them._ My hopes laid with the fact that the person operating the titan's body wouldn't become hungry for humans, or all the people over there would be dead, and it would be my fault entirely.

The city was grey, filled with death and despair, and the air felt heavy around me. Humanity was at the brink of extinction, fighting for their survival against the titans. As far as that kid knew, nobody knows where the titans came from, but my speculation would be that the one responsible for the titans was no other but a human. One thing I've learned from the place I came from was that humanity's greatest threat was humans themselves. Humans were vile creatures, selfish and destructive.

The titan displayed amazing hand-to-hand combat skills, for a body with such size. He killed at least 20 titans on his own, relying on his brute strength and speed. If those brats couldn't use that to their advantage to escape, that would be their own fault! _Tsh_. They were taking too long, the titans were overflowing the place, and the hybrid couldn't hold them off for much longer.

I looked at the hole in the wall. I _could_ close it, but I already used up too much chakra on the genjutsu I used on the blond kid. If I had to fight my way over there, it would possibly get me killed. I didn't feel like being the prey. All I could do for now was sit and watch, hoping that those idiots will realise they need to move quicker. They must have had problems with their gear that required them to go further inside the building.

The hybrid was already out of strength when they emerged from the building. He was pinned down by 6 titans who were trying to devour him. This situation wasn't looking peachy for him. Either way, I couldn't help him from where I was standing, I could only hope that the people he was protecting wouldn't abandon him. A group of people sprinted off toward the wall, the rest were just standing there, looking at him as the titans ripped off his arms.

Suddenly he pushed free from the titans' grasp, biting a titan's neck and ripping his head off, wile stomping on the smaller ones. Throwing himself at the second biggest one, he bit him by neck and threw him in the direction of another one, pushing them into a building. _Well, looks like he didn't need help after all. _

The hybrid let out a roar and collapsed on the ground, and the titan body started dissolving. The girl he saved earlier rushed to the body that emerged from the titan. I couldn't know what was happening over there, but from what the blond kid knew, their knowledge about titans was limited, and they didn't know anything about hybrids or anything close to that. That would definitely create an uproar.

Another group of people went ahead and sprinted to the wall. Now the only ones left were the black-haired girl the hybrid saved, the blond boy, Armin, and the boy who emerged from the titan's body. 

_Wonder who's going to shock them more, me or him. _


	4. Chapter 3

**30 centimeters per second**

_Chapter 3_

_Wonder who's going to shock them more, me or him._

I was observing the situation from across the river, making sure they couldn't spot me.

As I expected, they didn't greet him as a hero, quite the opposite. The pointed guns at an unconscious boy, but yet again, his blabbing about didn't help the situation._ 'Wipe you all out. Erase you from this world. I wanna kill more..', that doesn't sound like a healthy obsession to me._

The troop leader and soldiers had the trio cornered. The blond was kneeling down next to the loudmouth, while the black-haired girl was standing in between them and the troops who were ready to kill them on the spot. _People are truly horrible._

Depending on how they'd take one of their own as a titan, I was going to plan how to introduce myself to them. So far, I didn't see how that would be possible, given that they were trembling from an unconscious boy, never mind if I displayed my strength. Yet, I wanted to help them. If I could return to my own world I would need to ask them for help, because I was sure I couldn't return on my own.

He woke up from the daze he was in_._ The blond and the girl shouted his name, asking him if he's okay. _Eren_. I think they had bigger problems than that, though. The crowd around them were interpreting his earlier words as him wanting to eat them in his titan state. He seemed completely oblivious to what anyone was taking about. _Wait... could it be, he doesn't have his memories from the titan state?_

"Trainee Eren! You have come to your senses, I see!", the commander of the troops shouted over the noise the crowd created. Horror was written all over his face. _This won't turn out well, he's so scared he's not thinking straight._

"The behavior you three exhibit makes you look like traitors to humanity! Therefor I'm going to have to decide how to dispose of your lives!", that statement made the girl narrow her eyes at him. She was ready to kill for the boy. "Try pull any tricks or leave that spot and you'll be eating explosives! We'll shoot without hesitation!"

Everyone seemed scared. Armin was looking around, I could almost see the cogwheels in his mind turning. He was truly a genius. But what can he possibly say to make them come to their senses?

"I'll go straight to the point.", the commander continued. "What are you really? Human? Or titan?" That question threw Eren off guard, he had no memory from what happened. _I should probably interfere before they kill him._

"I fail to understand the meaning of your question, sir!" I already knew that her didn't remember, but the others took this as a it was the commander's turn to look confused.

"ARE YOU PLAYING DUMB WITH ME! YOU GODDAMN FREAK! COME ON, JUST TRY IT AGAIN! WE'LL FUCKING DUST YOU! YOU WON'T EVEN HAVE TIME TO ASSUME YOUR TRUE FORM!", as I expected, the commander lost his cool. The situation was getting out of hand. "Lots of people saw what happened! They were right there, watching you come out of that titan!" _Tsh. Is everybody here as thick as this guy? _"We humans are facing an invasion of your monstrous kind into wall Rose!"

They were at the brink of extinction and they needed a way to survive. If Eren could control himself in his titan state, then they would have an advantage in their war.

"It doesn't matter if you number among the trainees sanctioned by the king himself! It is perfectly suitable to swiftly eliminate any threat! In this, I know I'm right!" I formed hand seals.

With a poof, I was in front of the girl. Even though I surprised her, she was fast to react, slicing at me at the first chance she got. I stopped her blade, breaking it in half. "Relax, I'm not the enemy." I said in their common tongue, it was such a hassle.

Everyone fell silent. The commander was speechless. Behind him, a petite woman with short white hair and glasses narrowed her eyes at me._ Tsh. I smell a try-hard._

"Commander, our defenses are ready, on your command," she said in an even voice. _Here it comes._

"FIRE!" _Too slow! _I had a protective barrier placed around us in no time. What I didn't anticipate though, was Eren's transformation. My barrier cut the titans hand off, which was hit by the explosive shells anyways.

Everyone stared at us. _Shit! _Negotiations weren't going t be easier now that they saw the titan right in front of them. They were scared, the looks on their faces were ones of pure terror. I couldn't ask for a better timing for the steam to start rising from the dissolving titan body as Eren peeled himself free from it.

"Who are you?!" Armin was the first to speak up, of course, as the girl rushed to Eren's side. "I remember I saw you earlier on top of a building when we first saw Eren's titan form! Were you the one who made him like this!" I could feel the pain in the young boy's voice. The two others tensed up at his words.

"No, it was not me who turned him into what he is. I wish I could explain better, but I can't. I promise you I mean neither of you any harm," I said in an even, calming voice. They could hardly see through the steam, but it was no problem for me. My eyes were fixated on the outside. I couldn't return to my own world, at least not without help. I really doubted they could help me, but I felt that I could help them.

"I remember one thing," Eren said, his eyes turned to them. "The basement! The basement back home! My dad told me everything will make sense once I went there!" He looked at me, really looked at me, reassuring himself that I'm not a threat to them. "...whatever it is I've become, he's responsible for it...", he stared at the huge skeleton in front of them,"...if I go, I'll probably find out the truth about the titans as well!" His voice was filled with anger.

"There's no time to ponder on that right now. Look around you, everyone wants to kill you," I stated, hoping to get his head clear to the situation outside our bubble. I broke the barrier, letting the steam out. "Right now, given the situation humanity is in here, you need to stay alive and fight. You need to make a difference," I looked at him. His nose was bleeding and his breathing was heavy. If he kept this up, he would die from exhaustion.

He looked at me, his green eyes searching, yearning for something. He glanced at the girl beside him. The steam was clearing. "Armin," the sound of his name made the blond boy turn towards him. "Initially, I wanted to get out of here," I could see his friends were shocked by that, but he continued. "I would have just needed to turn into a titan once again. I don't know how I can do that, but I believe I can. Just like I don't know how I make my arm move, but I am able to do it anyways..."

More people were gathering around. They were scared, generally from not knowing what was happening, I hoped. These kids were really taking their time explaining, weren't they. As long as the people outside didn't interrupt them, I didn't care how much time they took. I turned towards them, locking eyes with the hybrid. His eyes were piercing, but they were scared too._ Poor brat, he never asked for any of this._

"That skeleton thing came to me unconsciously. I just wanted to protect us against the cannon," he continued. I could hear his voice breaking under the pressure. "Which was why it was rather limited in what it could do, and decayed away so quickly. This time, if I was to escape, I would have gone for something with a lot more clout. A 15-meter class, just like the one I used to kick titans' ass with." He was looking at Armin now. I could see his friends wanting to protest against his idea.

"Anyway, I said I wanted to do that. I have something else in mind now." He sounded kind of uncertain to me, but whatever made this show go on the road was fine by me. I sat on the ground in front of them. The other boy was looking at the ground now, his blue eyes reflecting sadness, in contrast to the girl who looked very determined follow her friend.

"Armin," the sound of his name made the boy snap his head back up. "What we'll do next is up to you to decide."

"Excuse me?!" seems like that statement frightened the short boy even more than the cannon that was over our heads. I wasn't sure how I felt about it either. If I protested against it, the chances of them trusting me were even slimmer than they already are. The boy was smart, I knew that, but was I willing to bet my life on it? _Tsh._

"Even I can tell how unrealistic my plan sounds. But.. this titan power would be most useful in the army's hands," he shifted his gaze towards me. "And as for us trusting you, first off you'll need to stay out of this. Let us handle it without interfering," his gaze was piercing, he was determined. I nodded.

"Armin, if you think you cannot convince the military that I'm no threat to them, then I'll follow through with my initial plan. But if you think you can pull it off, then I'll put all my trust in you," the boy's blue eyes were wide with the horror of holding one's life at the line. He knew that this is a life or death situation.

"You've got seconds to make your mind up. Can you do it? Or not? Whatever you say I shall need your advice," the shifter was staring at him waiting for an answer. _Wish it was that easy. _Still, I had to follow through with them. The boy, Armin, was obviously scared, but I was quite interested in hearing his answer. There was something about him.

"...Eren... why would you trust me with such a crucial choice?" His eyes were so wide I could almost see into his soul. He was like an innocent child, completely oblivious to the outside world at the moment. He was a good friend. But was that enough?

"You're good at making the good call when things go south, right?" Eren was reassuring him, but even the smile that he was giving him was portraying how worried he was at the moment. "I thought I'd rely on that."

"When did I ever do such a thing?" the blond boy was sounding even more confused than he already was. I wasn't sure if I played my cards right this time. Maybe I should have waited a little longer.

"It's been a solid five years. So many things happened since, eh?" Eren started, his voice having a certain ring of sadness to it. "If you hadn't called upon Hannes-san...Mikasa and I would've become titan food by now. We'd be dead."

_So the boy had its use, eh?_ Who would have believed that a shorty like him would play such a big role in this world, saving 2 lives. Me, on the other hand... I only knew how to take lives.

He stood there, frozen by his friend's words, blond hair swaying in the wind. The steam was thinning.

"Armin.." The girl, Mikasa, spoke up this time. "If you have anything in mind... I'll trust your judgement as well," she was staring intensely at the boy, jet-black eyes full of confidence.

"Armin," Eren urged him.

Suddenly, something seemed to snap inside that blond head of his. His face expression changed from one of pure terror to something new. The whole air about him changed. _Hm. _He jumped up.

"I'LL WIN THEM OVER OR DIE TRYING!" He was determined. _Let's hope you won't die, though. _Everyone was looking at me now.

"What?" I gazed at them, brushing them off. "It's not like I have a saying in this. Go. I'll sit back and let you take care of this," I smiled at the boy.

"Try look as nonthreatening as you possibly can!", the boy said and stormed off, leaving me and the two others behind.

I looked up. _They already have the cannons ready for us, eh? _I wasn't worried for my life, I was taught not to fear death, for I brought death myself. _I want this to change._

"STOP RIGHT THERE, SCUM!" the commander of the troops' voice brought my attention to the scene in front of me. _Bastard_. The fact that he was scared didn't give him the right to treat people like the dirt under his shoes. He wasn't more than anyone here, yet he acted all high and mighty. Everyone around did, in fact, view those three, and probably me, as the dirt under their shoes. Something they should dispose of.

"HE ISN'T HUMANKIND'S ENEMY, NOR IS THE GIRL THAT APPEARED MOMENTS BEFORE, SIR! WE'RE WILLING TO YIELD ALL INFORMATION WE'VE GARNERED REGARDING THE TITANS!" Armin was trying his best to convince the commander of something he should already know just by looking at those kids.

* * *

_"Fear drives humans insane, my little bug. Never allow it to control your life, for it will try. It will try to soak into your bones and it will haunt your dreams. As long as you face it, it will never gain control of you. Remember that."_

* * *

"QUIT PLEADING FOR YOUR LIFE! WE WON'T HEAR IT!" The commander's fear-laced voice was booming over the crowd. _Foolish man. _Everyone was still, waiting for what's next to come. "YOU'VE REVEALED YOUR TRUE COLOURS RIGHT IN FRONT OF US, BUT YOU'RE STILL TALKING? NOW THAT'S RICH! IF YOU'RE TRYING TO SAY HE'S NOT A TITAN, SHOW ME THE PROOF! FAILING THAT, WE'LL JUST ELIMINATE THE THREAT THAT HIM AND THE GIRL REPRESENT!"

"THERE'S NO NEED FOR PROOF!" Armin responded quickly. "IT WAS NEVER ABOUT WHAT WE SHOULD ACKNOWLEDGE HIM AS IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

"EXCUSE ME?!" The commander sounded offended, more than anything else. The boy in front of him didn't budge one bit, though. He stood there, blue eyes burning with feelings.

"I UNDERSTAND THAT MANY PEOPLE SAW WHAT HAPPENED! THEY MUST HAVE SEEN HIM FIGHTING AGAINST THE TITANS AS WELL! AND THEY MUST HAVE SEEN THE TITANS SWARMING AROUND HIM AS WELL! THAT MEANS THOSE TITANS REGARDED HIM THE SAME WAY AS THEY CONSIDER US HUMANS: AS FOOD! NO MATTER HOW YOUR TRY TO SLICE IT, THAT MUCH IS UNDENIABLE!"

_Good catch there._ Everyone was staring at Armin now, instead of the commander. He was getting through to people, but was he getting through to the person who called the shots? The commander stared at the boy._ The fear still hasn't left him._

"WE'RE GOING TO ATTACK, GET IN POSITION! DON'T GET ENSNARED INTO THEIR TRAPS, NO MATTER HOW CLEVER THEY ARE! THEIR WAYS ARE ALIEN TO US AND HAVE ALWAYS BEEN!" Everyone was shocked by what the commander's words were. Armin wasn't expecting this, but I was. "I WOULDN'T PUT IT PAST THEM TO BE ABLE TO TURN INTO HUMANS! WE SHAN'T LET THEM HAVE THEIR WAY WITH US ANY LONGER!"He lifted his hand, ready to signal the cannons to fire at us again.

Blue eyes turned towards us, searching for something. I could see and almost feel the fear he had for his friends' well-being. I smirked and winked at him, trying to set him at ease. I wouldn't let anything happen to those three.

"I WAS, I AM, AND I REMAIN A SOLDIER! SWORN TO DEDICATE MY HEART AND SOUL TO THE RESTORATION OF HUMANKIND! I HAVE NO GREATER AMBITION THAN TO GIVE UP Y LIFE SHOULD IT HELP THAT CAUSE!" Armin was saluting in front of the commander. "LET US ADD THAT "TITAN POWER"OF HIS TO OUR OWN REMAINING FORCES! AND LET US SEE HOW SHE CAN HELP AGAINST THE TITANS, TOO! WE MIGHT EVEN BE ABLE TO RECONQUER THE TOWN THAT WAY! FOR THE HUMAN RACE'S GREATEST GLORY! I SHALL USE WHAT LITTLE TIME REMAINS TILL I GO TO MY GRAVE TO ADVOCATE THE STRATEGIC ADVANTAGE THAT THEY REPRESENT!" His hand was ready to fall. I breathed out.

"That's enough," a shorter, bald man was standing next to the commander of the troops, holding the hand that was about to give the signal to fire the cannon. "Brittle as a twig, just as you've always been," he didn't mock him, it was more a statement than anything else. The air about the shorter man was interesting, I wouldn't know for sure, but he seemed quite relaxed given the whole situation. Good at hiding his emotions. His small eyes fixated themselves on me. "Didn't you see how beautiful a salute that was?" He asked, not quite expecting an answer, as his eyes returned to Armin.

"Commander Pixis!", his arrival wasn't planned, it seems.

"I barely arrived here, but I believe I'm catching on fast enough. You take care of spreading the reinforcements," he looked at the frightened man, then his gaze returned to us. "As for me, something tells me that I would do well... to listen to what those four have to say."

_Let's hope for the best._

* * *

**AN: Currently, I lost track of the direction the manga is going, so I got writers block. The newest chapters kind of threw me off track, they seem rushed and it bugs the hell out of me. When I get the time to re-read the manga and possibly re-watch the anime, I'll get back to this story. But that won't be soon, since I currently am writing something else. **


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